Hello,


Ok so i know i dont post alot but i hope to change that as i need to ask alot of stuff and find me a cosworth of my own!

My first plan was to buy a rolling shell thats abit batted up and do everything slow but the shells are to much to buy when i can get a running one for about £4000-6000.

Can someone please tell me things to look out for as i have never brought an old car.

Sierra Sapphire 4wd is what i hope to look for

Some Questions:

Are they 4WD or AWD?
If they break are they a cheap quick fix?
Are they going up in price? if so i better find one quick.
Whats all this i hear about de-locking? Good idea?
Can the engines be rebuild easy so its like a fresh engine?
Do they drink ALOT? As in 15 MPG.
Can you get this on a classic insurance?

Sorry if i am dumb... cant help it

Many Thanks Eigdoog

 

Some Questions:

Are they 4WD or AWD?
If they break are they a cheap quick fix?
Are they going up in price? if so i better find one quick.
Whats all this i hear about de-locking? Good idea?
Can the engines be rebuild easy so its like a fresh engine?
Do they drink ALOT? As in 15 MPG.
Can you get this on a classic insurance?

Sorry if i am dumb... cant help it

Many Thanks Eigdoog [/QUOTE]
4Wd is AWD on a 4 wheeled car.
If they break they are not cheap. everything has a cosworth tax
They are going up in price because they keep getting broken/stolen/crashed
de locking is taking out the locks and welding up the door hooles where locks were/ personal choice i suppose
Theycan be ok on fuel if driven of boost, ive been mesing about in mine lately and got about 45 miles the 30 quid
yes you can insure them on classic insurance

 

I always understood that 4WD is where all four wheel move at the same time but AWD they change on how much they turn on corners for better grip.

Also where is the best place to find one? should i be looking on eBay or just everywhere?
Do you know a good site?

Many Thanks Eigdoog.

 

is that your budget 4-6k mate if so i know of a few very tidy ones already i could point out to you ?

 

this seems cheap full mot low miles ect just needs a tidy up ect but you never know with cheap cossie's but could be worth a look
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1728213.htm

then theres this i think it looks spot on lovely motor but obviosuly your paying nearly double the price

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-FORD-SIER...item35aafddb6d

it all depends on what you want mate cheaper cossie and do abit work or buy one that already has all the gooddies on theres plenty there just got to sort the good ones from the sheds

 

Sorry for the late reply been to the shop and had tea
I have seen the one on eBay and it does look very smart but i feel for what i want to do to it i would ruin a lovely car.
The other one is just what i want! BUT its 2WD and 4 hours away :P I think i would go all that way if it was everything i wanted though.

I think it has to be 4WD and a little battered as i want to put a custom dash and seats in.

Also, Do you know of any sites that break so i can find bits, Thanks

Thank you very much for looking and helping me.

 

http://www.cosworthrsspares.co.uk/

http://www.rscosworthbreakers.co.uk/

theres two but also theres a few more just type it in google ebay is good for some bits aswell pick up some bargain but if you know what you want you can always check the for sale section in here or put a add in the wanted room mate people always selling stuff

 

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1874922.htm

just came across this mate and its 4x4 looks ok but milleage of 162.000 is abit high but its got history with it could be worth a look

 

You may of hit the nail on the head there but i have put the reg in to see about insurance and it only comes up with sapphire GLX, GHIA, LX and Quartz... what on earth is a Quartz? If i put in a cosworth on its own it comes back with £4000 insurance, but when i find the right reg its something like £800-1000. Sorry to ask so many questions

Many Thanks Again Eigdoog.

 

quartz is a standard model im sure mate hmm could be a reshell but dont remember its saying so in the add could just be a mistake on the insurance website but you could always drop the bloke a text or ring him and ask about it the best way really but defo is strange mate but like i say theres is loads around just keep looking thats what i did just checked here pistonheads autotrader and ebay everyday untill one comes up

 

Ok, Thank you very much for all your help i hope to upload pictures of my very own soon

 

by the way mate ive just checked it and it came up as a sierra sapphire cosworth 4x4 so all looks good just do a hpi before you buy it or any car you go to look at that you think about buying

 

Oh great abit late now but i am going to give them a call tomorrow and see about it. Thanks for everything again great big help !!

 

no worries i dont know much about them either so glad i could be of help ussualy me asking all the questions on here let me know how you get on mate

 

did you give them a ring mate about the cossie?

 

my answer's here.......
Are they 4WD or AWD? 3wd....no front lsd

If they break are they a cheap quick fix? not really, good compared to some things (evo's, skylines ETC) but they do suffer from cosworth tax, as said

Are they going up in price? if so i better find one quick. they seem to be, always good!

Whats all this i hear about de-locking? Good idea? meh, not bad, gay if the battery goes flat
Can the engines be rebuild easy so its like a fresh engine? depends how good you are, they are the same as any engine in terms of rebuild, and obviously, modifying = big money

Do they drink ALOT? As in 15 MPG. Depends on state of tune, bog standard one will be quite good, 500 bhp monster, awful.

Can you get this on a classic insurance? yes, but dont bother, its about £1k dearer for me to do that.

 

Sorry, not been on here :/

Yeah called and hopefully going to have a look soon. would be nice to get it but dont wanna buy the first one i see. on the other hand if everything seems fine i hope to buy!

And thanks wongRS for your answers, very much help.

 

yeah i know mate people say dont rush in and just buy the first one but with mine it was the first one and i loved it everything seemed ok and still is so happy days if its your first cossy you wont regret it i love mine everytime i get in it just have a massive smile on my face

 

i was always told "dont buy the first you view"

But the first one i went to view was an 82k miles, very clean, rot free, full history with pride of ownership trophies flint grey 4x4, for £3800, needless to say, it didnt stay there!

If all checks out, go for it.
just have a damn good poke around first!

 

Could you tell me some things i MUST check? as in where do they rot the most. he told me it has been in a shed for 3 and half years, so i hope it to be ok.

plus it has had a full engine rebuild, should i trust it as the engine is like new?

Thanks Again!

 

obviously arches on the back, get underneath and poke the sills behind the kit.
Check the front wings, if they are ford stamped with sealer intact, it means genuine wings still.
the engine are good and strong, and only really go wrong if not running properly (undefuelling is the main killer)

Check for blue smoke on start up, if its rebuilt, there shouldnt be any, a bit on full power and overrun is acceptable, especially if its not standard.

rear chassis legs near the springs are a prime place for rot too.

 

well if it is a FULL engine rebuild then it should be ok depending on whos done and ask for receipts for proof mate if its been sat in dry storage then happy days but still have a good poke around underneath sills chassis legs boot ect just a general look around, and if your going to look at it ask him not to start the car before you get there so you can see it started from cold and looks out for smoke nocks bangs ect, oil filler cap for mayo type gunk im no expert but thats what ive been told mate and then if you drive it just listen and feel for anything abit dodgy but they are old so the od rattle ect is to be expected!

 

ooh and check the arches mate

 

Now i seem to be more clued up on what to look for and where! thank guys!!

ill also take pictures so i dont forget and tell you how i got on

 

Hello again!

So then, i went last night after a 3 and a half hour drive to get there then i had to wait 20 minutes for the guy to return as he thought i was not coming but aside all that everything went well

I dont know what it is but i just fell in love with it and i am now the new proud owner of a cosworth!
I could not see any rot but there are a few things that need doing but i knew that was coming.

I will upload pictures of everything when i get it.

 

congrats mate im made up for you! so have you got it home yet or you going back later for it? what was the things you thought needed doing pal bet your over the moon

 

oh and if you dont mind me asking how much did you end up paying for it then did look good on the ad from what i could see

 

Nice one mate

Now its just a matter of time before you start tuning it.....

Pics fella..!!!

 

Nice one mate looking forward to the pics

 

Not got it yet, going to get it next saturday. (Going to feel like 7 years not days!)

The things need doing are:

The back bumper need renewing i think. (someone tried pushing with a car to steal it)
The drivers side door lock barrel had been broke (same guy tried getting in)
The steering lock has been broke by that nice same guy again...
The leather on the door panels looks like it has 'shrunk" so needs something doing (any help there please)
Fuse for the stereo


Yeah i am over the moon and cant wait!

I did end up paying the full price.

As for tuning it has a stage 2 conversion (green plugs and the pistons drilled out i think??) so i think i might need to just get everything elsa to match.

I know nothing about engines and hope to learn thats why i got one of these.

I can get the pictures he uploaded if you wish and one i took of the broken lock (looks bad, just wants love!)

 

yeah get some pics up mate give ny rs spares a PM or ring hes on here for the parts you need as for the leather door cards its common to shrink rip ect they can be exspensive i was lucky with mine there MINT! but you still got a cheap cossie mate be a nice motor once you get the bits mentioned sorted p.s check ebay for bits to!

 

I am going to start building a shed/barn for it soon to keep it dry, for now i am going to clear out an old garage for now till its built.

Oh also the fog light passenger side has a little hole in the lens.

 

needs badges on the back mate looks so much better you probs already know keep us all updated with pics ect

 

I know i need the badges but the right one is hard to find for a cheap price.

As far as i understand the sierra rs part are separate badges

SIERRA http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...#ht_500wt_1154 RS http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...T#ht_630wt_913

Not the http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/sierra-rs-badg...#ht_500wt_1154

Then this under them both

COSWORTH http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...#ht_500wt_1154

 

i MAY no some selling a full badge set mate ill let you know prices ect when i find out infact hes braking a full car never even realised before he'd have all the bits you need

 

Excellence news then yeah if you could get me a price please.

Also the gear stick seems loose, well the gears seem far apart. Is this normal? Or am i just use to newer cars like my focus.

 

mines the same like stiring a bowl of soup lol did you test drive the car mate was there any issues smoke ect

 

Well when i got there he told me it had not been started for 2/3 weeks so he had to jump it, there was no smoke at all and the engine was quite.

I did test drive it and thats where i found out about the gears, i had to keep looking down to see what gear i was in lol

 

looks good mate, best feeling in the world when u pick it up!

 

The thunderbird is home!

After 4 hours to get there (traffic) and about 3 hours to get home! She is here pictures will follow just to let you see everything!

Need ideas now so let me know